Nomophobie

There’s no escaping the fact that, as a society, we have become heavily reliant on technology in our daily lives, particularly our mobile phones. With the ever advancing smartphones on the market, many of us use these devices as if they were an extension of ourselves; carrying out various activities from instant messaging, taking photographs, sending emails, updating social media to online shopping, banking and more.

However, this heavy reliance has also resulted in many people developing a fear of being without their mobile phone or having no mobile phone contact. This has been termed “nomophobia” or “no-mobile-phone-phobia” by researchers, who are looking into the psychological effects of mobile phone dependence or addiction on people’s lives.

The Signs Of Nomophobia

To some this latest ‘phobia’ may sound a little extreme, but it’s more common than you think. A survey conducted in 2012, indicated that 66% of people questioned admitted they were obsessed with having their phone with them at all times. This was an increase of 13% on the previous four years and with even more people using mobile phones to carry out daily activities, this figure has no doubt increased since then.

If you’re concerned about nomophobia it’s important to recognise the signs in order to be able to rationalise the fear or anxiety and to take preventative measures to lessen the effects. If you experience any or all of the following, you could have nomophobia:

An inability to be without your mobile phone for longer than a few minutes, even to go to the bathroom

Unable to turn your phone off

Can’t stop checking your phone for texts, emails, social media updates even when it hasn’t rung or vibrated

Constantly charge your phone for fear of the battery running out

Have a fear of losing or breaking your mobile phone and losing all your data

Combatting Nomophobia

Of course, it’s natural that all of us will have some elements of nomophobia as we use our phones for so much, but there are ways you can soften the blow should you lose your phone and give yourself peace of mind too.

Investing in back-up devices like the MEEM charging cable will mean your precious photos, text messages and mobile phone data will be backed up onto the cable every time you charge. In addition the cable can be used to charge smartphones by power adaptor, car charger, pc port or power bank so it can also lessen the fear of losing battery life too. It’s a win-win for keeping your phone backed up and helping to quell the fear of nomophobia.